Clarke Griffin-dor
by clexamechanic
Summary: Clarke Griffin experiences life at Hogwarts with her best friends, Octavia and Raven. Of course the one thing she wants and can't have is Lexa. Clexa.
1. Year One

Clarke makes her way back to her train car with her arms balancing three chocolate frogs and a small sack of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. Her mom, one of the wizarding world's leading healers, had made sure to give her enough coins to buy treats for her, Octavia, and Raven. Other first years whiz by her as she walks, too excited about starting school at Hogwarts and otherwise just hyper off of the sugar of all the treats. The buzz and the chaos would typically annoy her, but right now its sending surges of excitement through her for what's to come next.

She starts to fiddle with the handle to her car to return to her friends when she feels that electric feeling in the air change to something more sullen, and sinister. She looks up and catches the eye of a girl coming towards her with a braid in her hair and the greenest eyes she's ever seen. _Who is that?_

The girl walks by Clarke before she can think of anything to say, but she notices that all of the other kids are watching the mysterious girl. Clearly she's missing something. Raven slides the door open for her. "Watcha staring at? Ooooh, chocolate frog!" Raven snatches one of them from Clarke's arms before peering into the hallway to get a peek at what Clarke is so entranced by. "That's Lexa Goodrum," she whispers, seemingly not wanting to draw any attention to them as they stared. Clarke raises an eyebrow, wondering if that name is supposed to mean anything to her.

Just as Raven opens her mouth to explain, Octavia hops on her piggyback style, wanting to get a peak at Lexa. Being completely unprepared, Raven topples over into the hallway and onto the ground, landing with a hard thud as Octavia squishes her into the carpet. Lexa turns back to look at the commotion, and Clarke watches her in an attempt to gauge her reaction. The rest of the compartment bursts into laughter at the mess of limbs that they had become on the floor, but not Lexa. Clarke is sure she can see a twitch of her lips wanting to curve into a smile but it's gone before Clarke can be certain.

"They're just excited over the chocolate frogs," she says loudly enough for Lexa to hear. She's not sure why she feels like Lexa is owed an explanation, so she breaks eye contact finally and helps her struggling friends off the floor. She tugs them into the car and slides the door shut. "You two are so embarrassing."

"It wasn't me, it was Octavia! Warn a girl before turning into a spider monkey."

Octavia just grins and unwraps her chocolate frog. "It's not fun if I warn you. You're supposed to just catch me. It's a trust thing."

"That doesn't make any sense," Raven retorts.

"You don't make any sense."

"Good one." Raven sticks her tongue out at her and it starts a full on funny face war.

Clarke watches them for a moment or two before her mind drifts back to Lexa. Why did her presence stun a bunch of eleven year olds into silence? Goodrum. _Goodrum._ The name sounds familiar, but she can't quite place it.

"Raven," she interrupts finally, "Who is Lexa Goodrum?"

Raven abandons the war with Octavia, shifts forward, and lowers her voice dramatically. "She's from the Goodrum family. They're decedents of death eaters. Rumor is that Lexa's parents are part of the new death eaters wave."

Now she remembers the name. The Goodrums, Mark and Margaret, had a huge hand in the First Wizarding War. Lexa's grandparents, she presumed. Lexa couldn't be a death eater, though. There's no way Hogwarts would allow one in, would they? They'd have to know. They'd have to have some sort of defense against that now.

"I heard Lexa's brother was sorted into Hufflepuff, and they basically disowned him. Now they're counting on Lexa to take on their legacy," Raven adds, before sitting back in her seat and taking a bite out of her frog. "Or so I heard anyway. My mom never stops gossiping."

Clarke feels fear in her chest before it quickly turns into guilt. She has no idea what Lexa is like, or what her family is like, and judging her based on rumors is unfair. Her father taught her better than that. "Stop spreading that story, okay? It might not be true and it's not right that she's judged before people even get a chance to meet her."

A glimmer of mischief dances across Octavia's eyes. "Then maybe we should ask her what the real story is. I dare you to ask her to hang out with us."

Clarke stiffens, not liking that idea in the slightest. If she were to meet Lexa, she wanted to do it naturally. Going up to a girl and asking for her life story right out of the gate didn't seem like the way to make friends. Maybe it's the way for Octavia, but Clarke has more tact than that.

Then again, she knows she can't back down from a dare. Gryffindors are supposed to be brave and not back down from anything, and she wants to follow in her family's footsteps. If she doesn't do this, maybe the sorting hat will put her in the wrong house. "Fine. But if I do this, you have to eat every booger flavored bean in the sack!"

Octavia nods. "Deal." Clarke moves out of the car and can hear Octavia call out, "And no telling her that it was a dare! That's cheating!"

She finds Lexa holed up in a car by herself reading some kind of book. It's big and heavy and Clarke wonders if it's one of the textbooks they were required to get. She knocks on the window and waves eagerly with a smile that's slightly too big. She looks like a total creeper, and Lexa's expression hasn't changed since she looked up. "Alrightie then," Clarke murmurs to herself. "At least she didn't tell me to go away."

Gathering all the courage she has, she slides open the door and steps inside. "Hi, sorry to bother you. Those were my idiot friends flopping around on the floor earlier. I thought I'd apologize to everyone who had to witness it."

Lexa studies her, looking like she's deciding if Clarke is worthy to speak to. "I'm Clarke-"

"Griffin. I know who you are."

Clarke wonders if she knows who she is because of her mother or father. Death eaters were responsible for her father's death, so asking that question out loud is too scary a thought, even for her. "Right. Well. I was wondering if you wanted to come hang out with us. It'd beat sitting in here alone reading a book. I promise we don't bite. Well, okay, sometimes Octavia does when she's bored but I promise she'll behave."

Lexa takes so long to answer that Clarke thinks she's being ignored, but she finally closes her book and picks up her bag. "Lead the way."

Clarke's smile brightens, and she reminds herself again to stop being such a weirdo. She just met this girl, and she had so many questions for her, but she felt like they could be good friends if the circumstances were right. She really wants to get this right. It feels important for a reason she can't come up with.

As they enter, Raven is already sorting out any jellybean that might be booger flavored for Octavia to eat. "Lexa, this is Raven and Octavia."

Lexa gives them a curt, but respectful, nod. It's clear her parents don't tolerate childlike behavior.

"Hi," Octavia says brightly. She grabs a fistful of jellybeans and holds them out to Lexa as a peace offering. "We got all the booger ones out already, so don't worry."

Lexa looks almost suspicious as she stares at Octavia's outreached hand, but with a reassuring look from Clarke she picks up a red one. "Thank you."

"So have you ever seen a dead body before?" Raven's question is tactless and Clarke is immediate to reply with a stern look. "Raven!"

Lexa seems unaffected, and she says seriously, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Raven and Octavia's faces drop as they shift uneasily. That is until Lexa's lips turn up just enough to indicate a smile. All four fall into a fit of laughter, which only grows louder when Octavia starts her task of eating the booger jellybeans.

"What house do you want to be in?"

"Slytherin," Lexa answers without missing a beat. Her tone is unchanged, but Clarke can tell it's a practiced answer, not a truthful one.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't care."

Clarke knows she cares. She can tell by the way Lexa's eyes flicker over to a sleeping Octavia and Raven. They crashed from their sugar high, leaving them a few moments of quiet to talk.

"I won't tell anyone," she promises.

Lexa's quiet, and Clarke realizes that's a pattern of hers. Whether it's a defense mechanism, or if she just likes the extra time to think, she's isn't sure.

"Ravenclaw," she finally admits. "If I had the choice, I'd want to be in Ravenclaw."

Clarke wants to hear more, but a bump in the train jolts Raven and Octavia awake.

"I'm awake," Octavia shouts. "Are we there yet?!"

Clarke sits at the Gryffindor table with her pulse still beating in her ears. It was an unimaginable adrenaline rush as she waited for the Sorting Hat to sort her. Some people try to play off house sorting as not a big deal, but those people are Hufflepuffs.

Raven gets into Ravenclaw unsurprisingly since she's been a mad genius since she was seven, but Clarke is especially bummed when Octavia is sorted into Hufflepuff. She thought she had a shot at sharing houses with at least her.

Clarke watches as Lexa steps up to the stool and the hat is placed on her head. Clarke holds her breath in anticipation. If Lexa gets Slytherin, there is no way they can be friends. After the Second Wizarding War, Headmistress McGonagall made better attempts at intermingling the houses, but it was still rough going. Any Slytherins that were attached to the dark arts in any way stuck together and didn't mix with houses they saw beneath them.

The Sorting Hat seems to be contemplating between two houses, and Clarke has hope for a fleeting moment.

 _Ravenclaw, please pick Ravenclaw._

"Better be, Slytherin! _"_

Boos ring out from the other houses as the Slytherins whoop and holler their approval.

That's it. It's over. Any chance Clarke had to be friends with Lexa is gone as she disappears into the sea of green.


	2. Year Two

Year Three

Clarke knows this is a bad idea. A very, very bad idea. Everyone knows the Quidditch Pitch is off limits unless you are a part of a team or there for a school function. Knowing this, Clarke still finds herself riding on her broom up and over the entrance, chasing after her two best friends who keep trying to knock each other off their brooms.

She really wishes she knew how to deny her friends. They never force her to go, and yet she feels a responsibility to them.

The wind whistles around her as she finally catches up to Raven and Octavia. Octavia's grin is wider than she's ever seen, and Raven's is equally mischievous. Snow blankets the earth beneath them and the stars above provide just enough light that they can see where they're going.

"Why did we want to do this again?"

"Don't be such a stick in the mud, Clarke! This is just a little preview for when we all make our Quidditch teams next year," Raven reminds her.

Octavia, the best flyer of the three, does a loop the loop and sticks out her tongue. "Someone is afraid of getting caught and ruining her chance of becoming a prefect."

"I don't know why you're worried," Raven adds as she dips low enough to pick up a snowball. "You're up McGonagall's butt all the time."

Clarke rolls her eyes. "I am _not_ up her butt. Excuse me for wanting to learn from arguably the greatest wizard of all time. And who says either of you will even make the team next year? You're not that good." Well, that was a lie. They were both really great with their flying after practicing all year. The only reason they didn't make it this year was because of the number of people who tried out, and the older kids who beat them out because of experience.

"Octavia just wants on the team so she can stare at Lincoln for two hours every day," Raven teases.

Clarke's nose wrinkles. Lincoln, Lexa's disgraced Hufflepuff brother, is three years older than them. "Ew."

"That's not true," Octavia says, humming a snowball at Raven for good measure and just missing her shoulder by an inch. "I want to play because it's fun…and secondly because I want to stare at Lincoln."

Raven shakes her head. "Called it!"

Clarke has to admit she enjoys watching the Slytherin matches. Lexa was the only one of them to make the team this year, and she even gets playing time at seeker when the matches run long.

Octavia hangs upside down on her broom and looks over at Clarke. "You think once you admit your big gay crush on Lexa that she'll bring Lincoln around?"

Clarke blushes, hard, and glares at Octavia. "I do _not_ have a crush on Lexa. Why are you two picking on me today?"

Raven and Octavia look at each other for a brief moment before simultaneously flinging snowballs in Clarke's direction. Clarke lets out a scream before shifting and racing away from their attack. They chase her relentlessly, and Clarke giggles as she zig zags to avoid each blow.

She's feeling really impressed with her skills and thinks that maybe she should try out for her team next year too when she's blasted with a snowball that sends her crashing to the snow below. Her body tumbles and she can hear Raven and Octavia laughing above her.

Anger flashes through Clarke's body and so she hops back onto her broom in an instant. Raven and Octavia recognize that look and take off towards the stands. They zip around in circles and gain height, even though they had promised Clarke they wouldn't.

Her judgment is gone as she climbs higher, revenge being the only thing on her mind.

"Catch us if you can," Raven shouts over her shoulder, and Clarke leans forward for more speed.

She's almost able to grab Raven's robes when a vicious wind gust catches her by surprise. Before she can readjust, she's off her broom and plummeting towards the ground. She vaguely hears them shouting her name but all she can think about is how she's seconds away from dying or breaking every bone in her body.

And then she's suddenly not falling anymore. She opens her eyes, and sees herself inches away from the snow below, just floating there. Raven and Octavia take off, suspecting a teacher had saved Clarke and wanting to avoid detention.

Clarke is pissed, and she's going to pay them back for that the next time they need somewhere to hide after one of their many pranks. Gently, she's dropped into the snow, and even though she gets a face full of ice, she's grateful to whoever saved her.

"I don't know why you are friends with those two."

The familiar voice forces Clarke's body into a stiff sitting position as she wipes at her face. She's sure she'd be blushing if her cheeks weren't already purple from the cold. "I wonder that myself sometimes," she replies, her blue eyes finally looking up to meet Lexa's green. "Thank you. For catching me." She's pretty sure not many other third years could have reacted as quickly as Lexa had.

Lexa nods simply, and turns to leave. "Wait! What were you even doing here?"

Lexa turns back to her, though Clarke can tell she had wanted a quick getaway. "I had forgotten a book in the locker room after practice this morning."

Clarke accepts the explanation and finally stands to look around for her broom. "Well, I owe you one."

"I'm quite certain there's nothing I will ever need from you." It stings. She knows it shouldn't. It's not like her and Lexa are exactly friends. Still, she thought they had a mutual respect for one another.

"Not even a lesson in socializing?" It's meant as a joke, but it comes off harsher than she intended.

Lexa's expression barely changes, and she's not surprised. Lexa is a master in masking her emotion. Clarke can't remember the last time she'd seen her smile. What could she possibly be going through to make her that way? If only they could get close enough for her to ask. "Goodnight, Clarke."

Lexa turns again, but this time Clarke won't let her go easy. She gives up on finding her broom and packs a ball of snow until it has the perfect proportions. She whips it at Lexa's back and the older girl is so shocked she nearly topples to the ground. Clarke squeals when Lexa turns with a look of murder in her eyes, and tries to run towards the goal posts for cover. Lexa's too fast, and she uses her wand to lift up snowballs the size of Clarke's head. "Magic is cheating," she shouts as she runs. "Magic is cheating!"

Lexa takes that into consideration before dropping the levitating slush. Instead, she makes one herself with her hands and chases after Clarke. "No one challenges a Goodrum and gets away with it!" There's just enough levity to her tone that Clarke knows she's joking.

Lexa throws a few snowballs that hit the edge of the pole she's hiding behind. "I guess your aim isn't as good without your wand," she taunts. It's a mistake, because before she can even blink, Lexa is tackling her into the snow with a giggle.

Wow. Lexa Goodrum giggles, and it's the most beautiful sound she's ever heard. Clarke can see their breath intermingling in the cold and is at a loss of what to say despite frequent daydreams about what their conversations might be like.

Lexa looks her age for once in the best way, but the moment is fleeting. The light smile slips back into a calculated one, and Clarke can tell she's losing her again. Losing her to what, she still doesn't know. Lexa gets up and shakes off her robes. "I need to be back at my dorm. Try not to follow your friends into danger again, Clarke. I won't always be around."

The words are heavy. As Lexa's form disappears into the darkness, one spark of hope pushes up against her chest. The only reason Lexa is warning her to be careful is because she cares.


End file.
